Clutch mechanism



(No Modl.)

A. E. BROWN. CLUTCH MECHANISM. No. 428,376. Patented May 20, 1890.

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UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE. 5

ALEXANDER E. BROWN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,376, dated May 20, 1890.

Application filed February 2'7, 1390- Serial No. 341,931. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that .I, ALEXANDER E. BROWN, of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutch Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

In the use of a series of friction-clutches in any kind of machine or mechanism under such circumstances that it is necessary or desirable to throw the clutches into and out of operation alternately, and to set all of them into a condition of disuse through the medium of a single motive lever or other device under the control of the operative, it has always heretofore been necessary to have the movable part of the clutch mechanism possess an unnecessary degree of motion, and to be moved to an extent unnecessary for the purpose of a perfectdisengagement and re-engagement of one or another of the clutch devices. This has been necessary because in moving through the medium of a single actuating device either one of the clutch devices to throw it into engagement, the other clutch device, connected with the same actuating contrivance, has of course necessarily been moved farther away from its engaging position than was necessary to have it completely disengaged from that part of the clutch mechanism with which it is designed to be in contact when in engagement, and whenever the series of clutches have been set in a condition of disengagement it has been indispensably necessary to have both of them farther away from the contacting or engaging condition than was necessary or desirable. I have devised means by which this defect or objection to all devices or mechanisms for thus operating friction-clutches have been heretofore subject, and by which a series of friction-clutches may be operated through the medium of a single actuating device, and atthe same time in such manner that the contacting devices of each one of the friction-clutches need only be moved to the minimum extent necessary either to throw it into engagement or to dis engage the parts of the clutch mechanism, the novel feature or pith of my invention in this direction consisting, essentially, in connecting the single operating or motive lever or other device with each one of the movable parts of the clutch mechanism in such manner, as will be hereinafter explained, that the device connecting the motive lever with the part to be moved influences said part only when said device is moved in one of its two directions of motion.

To enable those skilled in the art to make tion-clutches of a type in connection with which I have successfully practiced my invention.

In the drawing the figure is an elevation showing so much of a hoisting-machine as is necessary for the purpose of clearly exhibiting a pair or series of friction-clutches such as have been employed in such machines, said friction-clutches having applied to them for the purpose of manipulating them an operating mechanism or contrivance embodying my invention.

In the drawing, A represents an ordinary metallic bed-plate and frame-work, on which is mounted to run in suitable bearings the main or drive shaft 13 of a pair of windingdrums O and D of an ordinary hoisting-machine, the said shaft being shown as provided, as usual, with a drive-pulley at E, through the medium of which the necessary motive power is supplied to drive the said shaft with its said drums. As usual, the winding-drums are provided with ropes orcables a and b, and, as is quite common, each of the winding-drums is mounted loosely on shaft 13, so that either the one or the other may be rotated by said shaft at pleasure, according as either one or the other may be clutched to the shaft by means of some sort of clutch mechanism.

The clutch-mechanisms shown in the drawing are ofthat type known as frictionclutches, one of them J operating to effect a coupling of the drum G with the drive-shaft shaft and the drum B. These friction-clutches are supposed to be of the usual approved pattern or construction, and each involves, as shown,the necessary devices of a collar, or hub H, which is splined to the shaft B, and links I, working, as usual, to effect the expansion of the engaging rim-pieces of the friction-clutches. tion-clutch mechanisms being operated in the usual manner and by some one of the means or appliances heretofore employed for the purpose, I have illustrated these clutch mechanisms as having combined with them and as being operated by the novel means which constitute the subject of my invention. novel mechanism or contrivance consists (in the form in which my invention is shown in the drawing) of a suitable supporting-stand or frame-work F, which projects upwardly from the plate of the main frame of the hoisting-machine, in which frame-work F is mounted to slide endwise in suitable supporting bearing,

boxes an operating shaft or barf, which is adapted to be moved endwise in either directionby means of the hand-lever cl, thelower end of which is pivoted at e to the metallic frame or casting, and which at a proper distance above its fulcral point is slotted or perforated longitudinally for the accommodation of a projecting pin or pins 0, that project laterally from the sliding shaft or barf and engage with said slot.

Mounted on suitable rock-shafts or pivots h, that are supported in suitable bearingboxes on the top of the frame E, are two bent levers g, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected, as clearly shown, with one set of ends of the links G, which links, as shown, are at their opposite ends connected with the hubs H of the friction-clutch mechanisms proper. Each one of the said bent levers g has formed in its lowermost foot-shaped portion a slot, marked 3 in one case and 4 in the other, the peculiar shape of which slot is clearly shown in the drawing, and into these slots 3 and 4 of these bent levers projects, so as to properly engage with the slot, a pin, which projects laterally from the sliding bar or shaft f. These pins (marked,respectively, l and 2) operate to move the bent levers 9 whenever the shaft or barf is moved endwise, in a manner and for the purpose whichI will presently explain.

In the operation of the devices shown and so far described for manipulating the friction-clutches proper whenever the hand-lever d stands in the vertical orneutral position in which it is represented in full lines in the drawing, both of the friction-clutches are out of engagement with the drums of the hoist-ingmachine. WVhen, however, the hand-lever (I shall be moved into the position illustrated, for instance, by the dotted lines in which it is drawn at Fig. 1, such vibration of the handlever on its pivotal point e will operate,

- through the medium of an engagement of its slot or perforation with the projecting pin 0 In lieu of these usual fric This of the sliding barf, to move the said barf in the direction indicated by the arrow on said bar and into the position illustrated by the dotted lines at the left-hand side'of the figure of the drawing. lhislongitudinal movement of the bar f causes that one of its laterallyprojecting pins marked 1 to move or oscillate that one of the bent levers g which is located at the right-hand side of the drawing into the position indicated by dotted lines, which movement of said bent lever g operates, of course, through the medium of the connecting-link G to slide the collar H of the clutch mechanism which is combined with the drum D so as to throw said clutch mechanism into engagement and securely clutch the dru m D to the drive-shaft B. During the movements and operations thus of the parts, however, it will,

be understood that that one of the projecting pins of-the sliding barf that is marked 2 will simply travel along in the horizontal portion of the slot 4 of the bent lever g at the lefthand side of the drawing, without in the least affecting the normal position or condition ofsaid bent lever-g, and hence without producing any effect on the other clutch mechanism, which is designed to afiect the drum 0.

In like manner when the hand-lever D may be returned to its vertical or neutral position for the purpose of throwing out the clutch mechanism, just described as being thrown into engagement on drum D, that one of the friction-clutches which operates in conjunction with the drum 0 will still remain unaffected, the pin a simply returning to its original position. Whenever it may be desired to operate the friction-clutch which is arranged in connection with drum C, the hand-lever must be vibrated in the opposite direction, of course, to that in which it is shown in dotted lines in the drawing, whereupon the brake J will be thrown into engagement without in any manner afiecting the condition of the clutch mechanism which is combined with the drum D. It will be understood, therefore, that while I am enabled to perfectlymanipulate at different-times in the proper manner either one of the clutch mechanisms through the medium of the single hand-lever d, in so doing each one of the clutch mechanisms has to be moved or operated only to the minimum extent of motion that is actually necessary for the perfect action of said clutch mechanism.

Of course, in lieu of the peculiarly constructed and operating bent-levers g, engaging through the medium of their slots 3 and 4 with projecting pins on the sliding barf, some other combination of device may be employed for imparting to each one of the clutch mechanisms proper the necessary movements for its perfect operation without having the main drive bar or shaft affect the other clutch mechanism.

I have, in fact, contemplated and devised other detailed constructions for operating on precisely the same principle, to set and unset each one of the friction-clutches through the medium of a single hand-lever without affectin g in the least the other clutch mechanism. I, however, have given preference to and have so far put into most successful practical operation that precise form of mechanism which I have herein shown.

I therefore wish it to be understood that while I have shown that precise form and arrangement of devices which I have so far used in practice I do not understand my invention to be restricted to the use of just such devices, since many other and differentlyformed and arranged parts maybe employed, acting upon the same novel principle as that embodied in the precise form of contrivance shown, and hence embodying equally well my invention, the pith of which lies in the combination, with the series ofclutches to be a1 ternately thrown into and out of use, of a single motive lever or other analogous device and intermediately-arranged devices operating to cause any movement of said motive lever in a given direction and back to the point of starting to efiiciently apply and fully release one of the clutch mechanisms without in the least influencing or affecting the other.

lVhat I therefore claim, broadly, as my invention, and desire to secure'by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the following-named instrumentalities, arranged and operating together, as hereinbefore described, viz: first,

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of January, 1890. ALEX. E. BROWN. In presence of CHAS. W. KELLY, O. B. KRAUSE. 

